Brian McFadden has caused a stir in New Zealand after he commented on radio that "real men don't wear pink". He soon backtracked from this homophobic slur - claiming it was a joke.

During his radio interview on-air the Irish heart throb with a legion of gay male fans said "If you are not gay, a man should not be wearing pink. Saying pink is a form of red is the same as saying homosexual is a form of male."

As if this wasn’t enough, he also turned the spotlight on his adopted home town of Sydney, labelling it as a ‘gay city’ and claiming that in days gone by there was "no such thing as gay".

Fans of McFadden and lobby groups alike branded the remarks on More FM as "homophobic" and labelled the singer-turned-TV presenter a "hypocrite" over the off-the-cuff fashion faux pas.

McFadden rebutted these labels through a statement from his publicist, saying his words should not be taken out of context.

"To come to the conclusion that I am homophobic from these sentences is far from the truth," the statement read.

"Some of my friends and colleagues are gay and if I was truly homophobic then I have picked the wrong industry."

Whether this mistake really was a joke or not I guess will never be proven, however it was unexpected from the ex-Westlife singer - whose former band-member Mark Feehily is homosexual.

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